2004

Crabb Family - Sep 04

The Crabb Family is excited to announce the expansion of Kentucky CrabbFest into new cities. For four years, the Crabb Family has hosted one of the largest indoor Christian Music Festivals in the nation. Owensboro, Kentucky has served as home to Kentucky CrabbFest, bringing in nearly 10,000 tourists each year to the area. CrabbFest has shown such rapid growth in the past several years that, with encouragement from industry peers, Gerald and Kathy Crabb decided to expand the event.

While CrabbFest will remain in Owensboro annually in July, an additional CrabbFest will be held in Johnson City, Tennessee. Tennessee CrabbFest is scheduled for October 21 and 22, 2005 at Johnson City's Freedom Hall. Tennessee and Kentucky CrabbFest's talent roster will include the artists such as Gold City, the Hoppers, the Isaacs, the Hoskins Family, the Dove Brothers, Crossway, Russ Taff, Lynda Randle, Michael English, Aaron Wilburn, Karen Peck & New River, Paid In Full, Jody Brown Indian Family, the Gospel Enforcers, and Avalon.

CrabbFest crosses genre and denominational barriers to bring people from all walks of life into one venue for one common purpose. The results are growth and expansion.

CrabbFest also features Afternoon Showcases, Morning Worship Services, Talent Contests, Karaoke, New Artist Seminars hosted by Kathy Crabb, Songwriter's Day Camp hosted by Gerald Crabb, a Prayer Breakfast hosted by the "Crabb Girls" and much more.

The dates for 2005's Kentucky CrabbFest are July 6 through 9, 2005 in Owensboro. Tickets are available now by calling (270) 274-9900 or logging onto http://www.thecrabbfamily.com. Tennessee CrabbFest tickets will be available July 11, 2005. Plans for CrabbFests in additional cities across the nation are in the works for 2005.

The Browns - Sep 04

The past few months have been exciting for The Browns. The group received an invitation from Hall of Fame legend, Gary McSpadden to join with him performing 30 Christmas shows in Branson, MO, at the Americana Theater.

This new Christmas show will be on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons at 2:00pm, and also Wednesday evening at 8:00pm. The Christmas show will begin November 1st and continue though December 10th. "A Christmas Celebration" with GARY and his friends, the Browns, will be filled with Christmas classics and Gospel favorites celebrating Jesus, the reason for the season.The Browns are looking forward to spending Christmas in the "Live Entertainment Capital of the World", Branson, Missouri.

Lots of hard work is under way as the family prepares for this variety Christmas celebration. With help from costume adviser Carol McSpadden, wife of Gary McSpadden, the family attend the Dallas, TX  fashion market to select Christmas costumes for the show.  Rumor has it, that the Browns 8 year old comedian, Andrew,  will be ready and waiting to tickle your funny bone.

The Browns will be in the studio this month recording a new family Christmas CD. The musical tracks will be produced by award winning pianist, Jeff Stice who plays piano for Integrity Quartet. In addition to this new project, 17 year old Michaela will be recording her first ever Christmas violin solo project. The family's first original Christmas project, " O Come Little Children" will be also be reproduced and ready for rerelease. All of these exciting projects will be ready for the upcoming  holiday season. To learn more about "A Christmas Celebration" visit : http://www.bransonalive.com   Call toll free 877-336-7827 or 417-337-9333 for information and reservations.

With the release of the browns new Southern Gospel CD, "One Way", sales have exceeded the Browns expectations. The Browns also released to national radio the single cut, "One Way".  The first month out to radio, six Southern Gospel stations placed The song "One Way; as a top 5 new release!!!

This September the Browns will be singing their new song "One way",  to radio DJ'S at the national Quartet Convention . They will also be singing  at the Diamond Awards ceremony on Friday Sept. 17th, in the Executive West Scott room. If you are attending the convention, stop by booths 475-477.

With all these upcoming events the Browns are thankful for what God is doing in their ministry. To keep in touch with the Browns visit their web site http://www.brownfamilysings.com

Master’s Voice - Sep 04

Here I am at 2:30 in the lobby of our hotel room at the National Quartet Convention, and maybe I am being swept up in the nostalgia of being here, or maybe I am just becoming one of those softy, mellow-dramatic, read-old-year-books, watch-"Old Yeller-and-cry" type of guys, but I was constantly reminded today of just how amazing my calling is. Being surrounded by oodles of talented people singing the very best kind of music this side of Heaven is enough to really make any southern-gospel-music-lover feel as though they are in their very own toothpaste commercial, but I really have to tell you that if there were any doubt to anyone about how blessed I consider myself, let that come to a resolve. I am in awe that God allows me to do this. I want to do it all the time. I think that no matter what you do, if you are loving Jesus the way you should, you should be this passionate about it. I mean, I actually get to be a part of something (i know it sounds cliche) bigger than life. People's eternity is in the balance every time the gospel is shared, and I get to witness that. Though it is heart-wrenching when they say "no" to the Lord, it is so very sweet when they say "yes!" I get to travel with two of the funniest human beings on the planet and tell people about Jesus through the best music on the planet. What a God we serve!

I was so touched tonight by the Songfellows Quartet. Their baritone was 90 years old! That's right....90! He has been singing southern gospel nearly since it's inception some 70 years ago. I can only hope that God allows me to do this that long. Lord, if you don't come to get us before then, let me be that 90 year old man who still has a purpose and a zeal to serve you and love people.

Ricky Atkinson & Compassion

The Lamp Music Artist Spotlight turns this month to a Lamp Artist who has experienced God do some awesome things during their 5 year tenure with Lamp's Gospel Heritage Label.

Ricky Atkinson became known early on in his Gospel Music career for his songwriting skills. Several number one songs composition have been written to his credit including: “Blessed Be The Name of the Lord” for Tony Gore, and “Resting Place” for the Wilburns. Still respected as one of Gospel's top songwriters, Ricky is one of the most sought after songwriters in the business supplying fresh bible based material to artists like: The Ruppes, The McKameys, and many others.

“Ricky's songs speak not only to the traditional Southern Gospel listener,” says Lamp President and Producer, Mike Pillow, “but to the new generation of Southern Gospel fans that are broadening their styles. Another thing about Ricky's original material is, not only beautiful and easy listening chord structures, but biblical depth and spiritual truths that are sometimes overlooked in todays industry.”

Having some of the best original material can definitely help establish a nationally recognized music ministry, but it became very clear early on in the history of Ricky Atkinson and Compassion that their uniqe vocal sound and complex yet easy-listening vocal harmonies would be the very thing to capture the hearts of program directors and fans all across the country! This is evidenced by the numerous Singing News Fan Award nominations and various other awards received through the years.Each member of the group brings style and strength to their individual parts. Group members are: Ricky Atkinson, Samuel Atkinson, and Labreeska Atkinson - Samuel's wife.

Lamp's Mike Pillow speaks again about RAC, “When I first met Ricky in 1999 after hearing some of their demos and was immediately struck by the feeling and emotion put into every song by Ricky and the group. It wasn't long before plans were being made for their first national recording project on Gospel Heritage Records.”

Their first recording, “On Our Way” produced and immediate splash throughout the broadcasting industry and was immediately picked up by Solid Gospel and many program directors as one of the years most exciting new artists. The third single, “Jesus Can” continued to achieve ground-breaking results for the group by climbing all the way up to #6 on the SN charts. With each subsequent project each single has climbed the SN charts to take its position in the top 10. The latest single from their current project entitled, “Betterland” so far have included the extremely popular singles, “I'm Blessed” and “The Prodigals Father.” Early indications are already showing that their latest single “If The Church Don't Rise” will do well also.

During a recent visit at the Lamp Offices in Whitesburg, GA, Ricky shared a little bit about his personal convictions for music ministry through the group. “I grew up as a pastors kid. As the pastor's family we were always part of the church leadership. Myself and my siblings were often involved in music ministry at our local church and still are today.” Ricky and Samuel's father pastors a church in Sylvester, GA.

In addition to Ricky's many activities in the Gospel Music Industry, Ricky also is heavily involved in studio production work, and is responsible for bringing some very exciting new artists into the Lamp Music Family over the past 2 years that he has held the A & R position for Lamp Music. Recent agreements include: The Georgians and VictorySong of Valdosta, GA; Lance Carpenter of Anderson, SC; By Faith of Mt. Airy, NC; Adoration of Horshoe, NC.

The future for Ricky Atkinson and Compassion looks very bright for an exciting, on-track, committed trio like them.

We are very pleased to have them as part of the Lamp Family of Artists spreading the word through Gospel Music.

For More information about RAC: www.rickyatkinson.com or www.lampmusic.com

Journeymen Qt - Sep 04

Our Purpose

One of the most popular books ever written for the Christian community is The Purpose Driven Life, by Pastor Rick Warren. Simply stated, the commercial success the book and all of its subsequent spin-off products have experienced is nothing short of phenomenal. Literally thousands of Christian churches in America, across widely varying denominational boundaries, have organized group studies to proceed through the "40 Days of Purpose," as described in The Purpose Driven Life.

Although the commercial success of such a project can be analyzed, the actual results will not be known until we reach eternity. Of the millions of people who were impacted by their "Purpose Driven" experience, how many times was the direction of a life changed for good? How many times did a Christian change after being convicted that they were not impacting the world for Christ? How many times did a believer finally begin to see the unique plan that God has for their life and begin striving to walk in His will? The eternal difference made in countless lives brought closer to God is beyond our understanding in this life. However, there will come a day when we will see the results.

My question today is to the members of the southern gospel family. From songwriters, to artists, to promoters, to industry members, the question is the same. What is your purpose? If you can readily answer that question, let me ask you one more. How often can someone else see your purpose, simply from observing your actions and attitudes? I don't know about you, but those questions certainly make me stop and think.

The guys in our group would readily tell you that our purpose is to encourage the church and to point the lost to Christ using gospel music. If I am being perfectly honest however, there are many times it feels as if my days are more consumed by "the trappings" of running a gospel quartet. From talking with others in our southern gospel family, it seems that this "catch-22" is not uncommon.

The commitment and hard work required to keep a group on the road today is something understood by very few who do not already do it themselves. No matter how diligently we might work, there is always more to do. It is not out of the ordinary to have one day spent doing office paperwork, booking concerts, performing bus maintenance, updating the website, and performing on stage. It is a lifestyle that few would want to emulate, and still less able to maintain for an extended time.

In the midst of this busyness, we can lose our "purpose focus" and instead begin to compare ourselves to others around us. When our thoughts, actions and attitudes begin leading us down the slippery slope of comparison and envy, problems quickly begin to loom. Our questions become things like who has the highest flat? Who sells the most product? Who has the best radio chart position? Who has the nicest bus?

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that I believe our southern gospel family is filled with wrong-hearted people. God is using many of our people in powerful ways. There are plenty of instances where we see the blessings of God being poured out upon folks. There are other situations in which days are difficult and filled with uncertainty. The challenge for us all is to maintain our heart and our purpose, "come what may."

I am committed to being genuine in my love for God and my daily walk with Him. I also am committed to be true to my family and continue the legacy of faith, hope and love with which I have been entrusted. These commitments come first in my life. My next commitment then turns to the privilege I have to be used in this ministry. I want to genuinely love and care for the people to whom we are blessed to sing.

I don't want to get to Heaven and find out that I've given my life for a higher flat, more product sales or higher charting songs and nothing more. If my rewards were all received in this life, then I have failed. I pray that on that day I will not be ashamed of the way I lived my life when God shows me the eternal results.

God has a purpose for me and God has a purpose for you. He has gifted each of us with exactly what we need and put us in the right place and time to accomplish that purpose. He has done His part. The question now is to us. Will we do our part?

What is your purpose? Can others see your purpose through your actions and attitudes?

Father, help us to live our lives in a way that is pleasing to You and bless our efforts to use this wonderful music to accomplish Your purpose we pray in the name of Christ, Amen.

Until next time,

Stacey Murphy
Journeymen Quartet
http://www.journeymenquartet.com